Live Blog: London

We are in the United Kingdom this weekend! Today we are going to Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and the London Eye! We are blogging as-we-go, and will publish each day’s activities once we are back at our home base here in London, nursing our sore traveller’s feet.

First up: A train to the historic Victoria Station where our city adventure begins…

This shot was taken from across the street at The Shakespeare – a lovely, friendly pub easily found once you step out of Victoria where you’ll find excellent beer, great service, and satisfying pub food.

We all think we have “English/Irish style” pubs at home, but you really need to experience pub culture for yourself when in country. If you can get a seat near a window, or even outside on a nice day like today, The Shakespeare is a people-watching paradise! Of course, any pub located so near a train station in one of the most tourist-heavy parts of London will be a bit different than the pubs you can find in quieter boroughs, but the beauty of London is that it has so much to explore, and so many great pubs to try out! Our mission while we are here – find the best bangers & mash in the city.

With that said, we couldn’t resist the steak & ale pie! It goes down well with a pint of Old Speckled Hen.

We headed down to Buckingham Palace to check on Queen Betty and her corgis. Her Majesty wasn’t in residence at the moment (likely enjoying the summer at Sandringham, her country estate), but we definitely enjoyed exploring the area around one of the most photographed buildings in the UK.

Big Ben is another iconic image from this ancient city, although the clock itself has only been around since 1858. It is located at the end of the neo-gothic palace of Westminster, on the banks of the Thames.

Around the corner from Big Ben is the famous London Eye – a great way to view the entire city centre from above. We decided to skip the actual ride up the wheel itself – budget travellers who want this experience may wish to set aside the £20-£38 for their ticket. Those with a fear of heights may be uncomfortable on the 30-minute ride, but if you can white-knuckle it all the way around, it will make for some excellent pictures and memories!

Our feet are telling us it’s time to head back, so check in this weekend for our posts from Weymouth, Dorset as we head to the coast for some R&R!

Maybe one more pint before we go…

Check back this weekend for our next blog post, live from the UK! We post whenever we have internet access, so keep coming back often!